Forest abandons care village concept at Borehamwood

The Borehamwood Care Village in Hertfordshire is to be converted into a complex of nursing home beds, following its recent acquisition by Forest Healthcare Ltd. The care village featured in national media last year when its previous owners, Assured Care Services, announced plans to close the centre, saying it had lost Â£3m in five years as a result of inadequate fees paid by local authorities. In March, 2002, resident Rose Cottle, 102, appealed directly to Prime Minister Tony Blair to save the complex from closure. New owners Forest Healthcare say Borehamwood Care Village, which presently consists of a 39 dual registered nursing home and 58 shelter flats, will be converted into 163 “state-of-the-art” nursing home beds for various categories of care. “This will provide much needed nursing beds for the local authorities and private residents in the area,” said the company. Created in 1994 by Efi Hershkovitz and Lance Blackstone, Forest Healthcare operates two other care facilities in addition to the newly-acqui